Summer Camps

Our summer camps are designed to provide students with an intensive, enriching writing experience that not only fosters open creative expression but also helps them develop their writing skills. Students gain confidence and build literacy and communication skills in a safe, supportive environment.

No writing experience is necessary. We would love for you to join us, whether you’ve been writing for years or just want to be part of a unique creative process. Classes are small (eight to fourteen students), and instruction is tailored to the students enrolled.

Week 1: July 2, 3, & 5

TEEN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM (ages 13-18)

We invite teens to apply for our summer internship program. We offer two different tracks, both of which require training.

Teaching Assistant || You assist with teaching writing to groups of children in our summer programs under the supervision of one of our instructors. During the training, you learn how to design lesson plans based on what you love about writing. You are then given the opportunity to teach throughout the summer.

The Interview Project || You interview and write stories about people of interest in your community―whoever intrigues you―from your neighbor to a local business owner to the mayor. Inspired by “Humans of New York,” this project has you finding and sharing stories that need to be told, ones that will touch the lives of others. During the training, we teach you essential journalism skills, such as interviewing, selecting important details, and writing a compelling narrative. The goal is to provide completed stories to be housed in the Red Bank Public Library and given to the participants and their families.

Week 2: July 9 – July 13

INK IT UP! (ages 11-14)

10 a.m. to 1 p.m.with Lisa Hartsgrove

Are you ready to see where your imagination can take you? In this camp, we stencil, color, and freewrite to fun prompts—exploring the ideas that tug at us, the concepts that intrigue us, and the thoughts that stir us. Your journal becomes a vehicle for all of these thoughts, emotions, and big ideas. Then we show you how to take what’s in your journal and turn it into a story, poem, and even art photography, staging pages in creative ways to post on our Instagram account. We also collaborate, combining our best work in a sketchbook that we send off to live forever in the Brooklyn Art Library as part of its “Sketchbook Project.” Using a variety of writing styles and techniques, we make sure what we want to say comes across clearly and with power. We write and share our posts to make change, and we build confidence in ourselves while doing so.

Week 2: July 9 – July 13

SUPERHERO MASH-UP (ages 7-10)

2 p.m. to 5 p.m.with Joy Newcomb

We all have characters—good and bad—whom we fall in love with because of who they are and what they do. But what if we could play around with those characters—creating even more imaginative heroes and villains—or mix their storylines? What if Cinderella discovered she had Superman’s physical strength? Or Wonder Woman landed in Agrabah and ran into Aladdin and Jasmine? During this camp, we mash up our favorite characters and storylines and let our imaginations run wild as we reimagine new heroic and fantastical adventures. Look out J.K. Rowling and Jeff Kinney!

Week 3: July 16 – July 20

IMAGINATION BLAST OFF (ages 7-10)

9 a.m. to 12 p.m.with Leah Mermelstein

We make writing fun! During this camp, we tap into your imagination, showing you how to turn your ideas from “think to ink.” We show you the importance of having a writer’s notebook to gather your thoughts and let your ideas flow from your pen. Each class provides creative ways to get started―reading from a book, listening to a favorite song, looking at a photo. Through creative prompts, role playing, games, and more, we help you create and explore stories filled with intriguing characters―even yourself―and exciting adventures for them to go on.

Week 3: July 16 – July 20

YOUR VOICE MATTERS (ages 11-14)

1 p.m. to 4 p.m.with Christa Teter

Given today’s challenging climate, your voice―and what you think about controversial topics―matters now more than ever. This camp is designed to give you the skills and tools you need to report facts infused with opinions in a powerful way to effect change. Analyzing a diverse array of contemporary voices, we discuss what social activism journalism is. Then we explore different forms your writing can take―opinion pieces, letters to the editor, social media and blog posts, photojournalism, and more … and we help find the best platform for your voice to be heard, encouraging submissions to local magazines and journals.

Week 4: July 23 – July 27

ALL YOU CAN WRITE (ages 7-10)

9 a.m. to 12 p.m.with Colleen Doogan

Have you ever had a cool story idea when you were sitting at the dinner table or walking in the woods or waiting in the lunch line? Don’t let those ideas get lost in the humdrum of everyday life. This camp is all about catching those big thoughts as soon as they come, and writing them in —and on—anything possible. We mean napkins, notebooks, postcards, paper plates, you name it. Have fun exploring your ideas and everything you observe by crafting and revising a variety of pieces—letters, short stories, picture books, songs, comics, poetry, and more— in notebooks and on unique surfaces, for all the times your notebook isn’t handy.

Week 4: July 23 – July 27

GIRLS WRITE NOW (ages 12-15)

1 to 4 p.m.with Lisa Hartsgrove & Jennifer Shields, M.Ed., LPC

As a girl, what are some of the day-to-day challenges you face? How do you feel about social media, for example? Or drama among your peers? What about pressures in school? During this camp, we have deep discussions about what it means to be a young woman in today’s society. We explore our differences and write about them, developing and strengthening our unique voices. Using a variety of writing styles and techniques, we make sure what we want to say comes across clearly and with power. Write to make change while building confidence and making new friends you can connect with in a meaningful way.

Week 5: July 30 – August 3

STORYBOOK STUDIO (ages 7-10)

9 a.m. to 12 p.m.with Leah Mermelstein

You are an author—you just might not know it yet! In this camp, we take you through the process of creating story books, picture books, and comics. We begin by generating ideas using mentor texts and prompts, and then move on to planning by storyboarding, storytelling, and discussing ideas with the group. Next, we write, revise, and edit, until we are ready to illustrate our final draft. This is a great opportunity to let your creativity and passion shine through words and drawings!

Week 5: July 30 – August 3

POETRY UNDERCOVER (ages 11-14)

1 p.m. to 4 p.m.with Lisa Hartsgrove

Where does a poem come from? And what can a poem do? This camp is about finding the poetry in everything―from music to news articles to shopping lists. We explore the almost unlimited world of words by using what’s all around us and looking at lyrics, stanzas, and more that speak to us. Inspired, we then write poems that crush with sadness, lift into joy, soar with possibility, or land with a single sentiment. Stretch your creativity and find the forms and style that suit your voice. It’s all about what you have to say, and how you’re going to craft it. Isn’t it time to walk through life with poetry-colored glasses?

Week 6: August 6 – August 10

ANIMAL TALES (ages 7-10)

9 a.m. to 12 p.m.with Samantha Strauss

Who doesn’t love reading animal and pet stories? Now here’s your chance to write them! In this camp, we explore all things furry and wild and craft pieces inspired by our favorite animals and creatures: nonfiction expert pieces, fiction stories with animal characters, how-to books about taking care of pets, or opinion pieces on the best animals, for example. We also focus on the techniques needed to create proper settings for our animal characters. Use your love of animals and your imagination to tell funny, adorable, or true stories. Just call us Project Write Meow.

Week 6: August 6 – August 10

SHORT SHORTS (ages 11-14)

1 p.m. to 4 p.m.with Lisa Hartsgrove

This camp is designed for all writers―from the timid to the enthusiastic. Looking at samples of short fiction, we find out what each of us appreciates (or not) and why, and we create our own stories through prompts, exercises, and brainstorming. We use a variety of writing styles and techniques, including “twitter fiction” (140 characters or less) and “one sentence a day” projects that we can continue long after camp ends. We allow time to revise, turning the sentences over until they read just right, and offer opportunities to go public, submitting to Bridge Ink and other literary journals, while also sharing our work on our Instagram account. This is a supportive environment that encourages creativity and helps boost storytelling confidence.

Week 7: August 13 – August 17

SPORTS WRITING (ages 10-13)

9 a.m. to 12 p.m.with Jason Kady

Gliding through the air like a bird of prey, Russel Westbrook attacked the rim with a thunderous ferocity … Most of us experience sporting events with our eyes and ears, but not very much through written word. In this camp, you get to capture moments―a bat hitting a baseball, the dribble of a basketball, or the smack of a hockey puck―in a variety of writing styles: creative short stories, informative play-by-play or profile pieces, figurative free verse poetry. Share some of your most amazing sporting experiences and creative ideas while developing a greater sense of voice, style, and figurative language skills. Use this camp to discover a whole new way to appreciate the wonderful world of sports.

Week 7: August 13 – August 17

FANTASTIC VOYAGE (ages 11-14)

1 p.m. to 4 p.m.with Jim McConville

Come take a trip with us to imaginary places with characters you get to invent! With a focus on science and technology —whether space, time travel, or robotics—we will imagine the unimaginable. In this camp, we tap into our creative brains to explore narrative techniques—character, setting, conflict, point-of-view—that make our science fiction worlds believable and our plots compelling. We use storyboarding skills to write, draw, and transform what we know today into a vision for the future.

Week 8: August 20 – August 24

SPINNING STORIES (ages 7-10)

9 a.m. to 12 p.m.with Colleen Doogan

Many fiction writers start with a true story and then change the details until the story takes on a life of its own. In this camp, we learn to write fiction that sounds real by taking a thread of truth and spinning it into something more. Maybe you got a new puppy but want to change the way it looks or acts, turning it into a purple candy-stealing monster? Or maybe you got lost at the zoo but instead of an adult finding you, a huge hawk swoops you up into the sky so you can spot your family. Exaggeration is encouraged as we invent new stories with the help of our fantastic imaginations. We write with an eye on scene, plot, character traits, and voice, and have a ton of fun along the way!

*Please register by or before August 10 to hold your spot in the camp.

Week 8: August 20 – August 24

SONGWRITING STUDIO (ages 11-14)

1 p.m. to 4 p.m.with Mimi Cross

Are you a music lover who wants to experiment with writing songs? This camp provides a safe space where you are encouraged and supported to storytell to music. Prior experience singing and songwriting is not necessary as we nurture your imagination. We listen to our favorite songs―analyzing lyrical structure, theme, and literary devices―while also learning about melody, chord progression, and mood. Participants work individually and as part of a group to create their own original music. Songs will be written; fun will be had!

*Please register by or before August 10 to hold your spot in the camp.

Project Write Now reserves the right to change camp instructors if necessary.

SUMMER CAMP REFUND POLICY
1. A full refund will be given when a camp is cancelled by Project Write Now due to low enrollment or other unforeseen circumstances.
2. No refunds or credits will be given for any days missed by the participant.
3. More than 30 days’ notice, you will be issued a full refund, less a $25 processing fee.
4. Less than 30 days’ notice, you will be given a full credit for a future camp, less a $25 processing fee.